The Quarry Products Association NI (QPANI) was delighted to hand over a cheque for £2826 to Mark Carruthers, Patron of CRY.

CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) is a charity-based organisation whose mission is to raise awareness of undetected cardiac abnormalities in young, apparently healthy individuals. Sudden Cardiac Death (SADS) takes the lives of eight young and apparently healthy people every week in the UK – a statistic viewed as only the tip of the iceberg by experts in the field.

CRY provides medical information on the most common causes of unexplained cardiac deaths in the young. It is often difficult to consider that someone who is apparently young and fit my be at risk. Sporty youngsters stress their heart the most. If they have an underlying cardiac abnormality they are more likely to be at risk. Sport itself does not lead to cardiac arrest but it can act as a trigger for a young person to die suddenly by exacerbating the undetected condition.

An independently-funded heart screening clinic set up by CRY at the University Of Ulster Clinic on the Jordanstown campus offers a screening service for any young physically active individuals aged between 14 and 35. With a simple electrocardiogram and diagnosis by an expert consultant cardiologist, many heart conditions can be detected.

The QPANI Charity Quiz Night held at the Tullyglass Hotel, Ballymena was sponsored by J Robinson and Sons and with 17 teams from a variety of member companies across the province in the running the competition was high. The final winners of the evening were quarry company OMYA, while second place went to the CEMEX team.

Gordon Best, QPANI Regional Director said “Our chosen charity CRY is close to us all, with many of our families and employees associated with sports clubs. The success of our evening was due to the generosity of our sponsors from the quarry industry and their workforce who took part in the quiz, QPANI would like to thank everyone for their support in raising much-needed funds to increase the awareness and support the screening programs in Northern Ireland to detect this life-threatening illness in our young people.”